My Wants and God’s Will

“If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” 1 John 5:14 NKJV

God gave you a free will; God will respect your will but not be subject to it.

My thoughts and comments today are about “my wants and God’s will.”

Life is rarely on your terms. You might think you would like for life to work that way but it doesn’t, and life gets lonely if you persist in that. Self-centeredness is relational suicide. As a two year old, most of us learn that temper tantrums are not a socially accepted device for getting your own way. However, some never outgrow their insistence on total self-determination; they just change tactics. Badgering, bargaining, arguing, griping, pouting, blaming, door slamming, bullying, sulking, and oh yes, tears are a common strategy.  How has that ever worked out for you?

As the comedienne, Lily Tomlin, said, “I’m not bossy; it’s just my ideas are better.” That’s not a healthy strategy for relating to others. For a while, you may finagle a way for others to comply with your wishes, but relationships do not thrive in an unhealthy climate. “My way or the highway” is not an effective relational philosophy, unless you plan on a lot of time alone.

Now let’s talk about how this relates to your relationship with God. “He who does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 2:17 NKJV. Sometimes a person insists on their own way even in their relationship with God. You can try to assert your will for God’s approval. And God will respect your independent will; He gave you that free will, but that does not mean God will be subject to it.

You finally begin to grow and mature spiritually when God’s will becomes more important than your wants. The Bible says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him.” 1 John 5:14-15 NIV.We wish that read this way: “If we ask anything . . He hears us . . and we know that we have what we asked of Him!!” Now any one of us can get excited about that. But that leaves a glaring omission, a very important qualification – “according to His will.” There are no boundaries to what you may ask, but only when God’s will is preferred above your wants. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” John 15:7-8 NKJV. When you abide in Him, anything else is secondary.

It is important to notice that your requests must be centered in a willing, trusting submission to His benevolent will. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:1-2 NKJV. Good, acceptable, and perfect will of God! That conviction is fundamental to your trust and obedience.

God welcomes your bringing your needs to Him. Read Philippians 4:19 NLT. The difficulty is one’s confusion over needs and wants. Your wants always exceed your needs. God wants your needs to be met, but you are responsible to filter your wants and subjugate them to His will in every instance.

How can you know the will of God? God’s will always agrees with God’s Word and is compatible with His character. “Ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Colossians 1:9-10 NKJV.e hears us. And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask

My prayer for you today is that you ask freely of God and live in the center of His will.